I've never had to arm myself against possible bear targets, and likely never will. What Mr. Hawk here says rings true to me though. I think if putting myself in harm's way I would keep things simple and go with a solid wide flat nose of an alloy modulated to achieve an effective compromise between soft and hard. Faced with a pissed off grizzly while berry picking I dare say no matter what gun you're holding in your hand will feel big enough anyway, I suppose.
